The Heart's Magic
by ToraKyoumou
Summary: Just a little something that I came up with... It's still not finished, but I hope you enjoy it.
1. Prologue

The moon had hidden behind some clouds as a figure made his way through the book cases with a lit candle in hand. Seeing another light ahead of him, he swiftly snuffed the flame as he slowly walked closer to investigate. Keeping well within the shadows, he leaned up against one book case and saw the object of his attention. A lone young woman sitting at a table pouring over some old tomes.  
  
The young woman sat there for quite some time, one hand turning the pages of an open book, the other busily recording anything worthy of becoming notes. Suddenly she looked up from the book. It seemed to him that she heard something and was trying to figure out what it was.  
  
From his hiding spot, he could see almost every detail lit in the solitary light. Her hair shone like fire. Her eyes he couldn't decide on whether they were a winter sky or mountain ice blue. And her skin shone like alabaster. In that instant, what he saw was almost as breath-taking as what he saw in her eyes; a fiery intelligence that sang of the wilder side of life. There was also a slight fear in her eyes. A fear that spoke of a possibility of reading restricted books.  
  
And then she started calling out to someone. Who is it that she calls to? he thought. Maybe the librarian or his assistant. Her voice, though so quiet he could barely hear her, had a distinctive lilt to it, one that reminded him of the ocean.

* * *

Surrounded on all sides by books, I couldn't stop my nervous hands from writing notes in my shorthand compact style. Though the script was fluid and never stopped, I couldn't help but wonder if someone was going to catch me here. Already I can feel someone's presence. I know that I shouldn't be here, it's late and I'm scanning through books that are restricted to students. Looking up from the illicit books, I try to see if someone is in my area.  
  
"Randy?" I called out softly, "Is that you?"  
  
My eyes shifted to the shadows that my lone candle's light did not penetrate.  
  
"Hello," I called softly again, "Is any one there?"  
  
Nothing. Not one sound. I shook my head, thinking that it was just my imagination running away with my guilty feelings. Returning to my note taking, I was still unable to shake the uneasy feeling that someone or something was watching me. 


	2. Introducing: Double Trouble

Almost two years had gone by since she started attending the Winds Academy for the Magically Gifted. For her, the years seemed to have gone by in a flash, and the last term of the year had ended. With the term now ended, a few days rest was in order before returning. Now, it was time when all the masters decided who had made the level and rank, who needed to stay longer and who just wouldn't make it ever. Time to post the results of the exam every second year student had taken.  
  
Miki rushed through the empty halls of the Academy, pulling her reluctant twin sister along, impatient to see her scores. She knew that only a handful of second year students ever earn masters rank in any color. She also knew that hardly anyone went for white nowadays, they tended to go for the more passive, moderate colors. Daring to be different, she tried to go for the white.  
  
Still racing through the halls, Miki ignored Luna's muttered protests. Luna was Miki's long time friend and fraternal twin.  
  
Giving Luna's arm another pull, Miki panted, "C'mon, Lune! Hurry up!"  
  
She turned around a corner and almost flung Luna into someone.  
  
"Sorry," Luna yelled over her shoulder as Miki continued to drag her along like a ragged doll.  
  
Miki finally slowed down as she neared the end of one hall. Releasing Luna's arm, she took a few wobbly steps as her legs tried to cramp up on her. Her ice-blue eyes quickly caught sight of the famed message board next to the Grand Master's office door. Quick, fluid steps brought her to the left-hand side of the board as she scanned each page to locate the test scores. Finally spotting the results page, a long, slender finger slowly skimmed down the list of names as she read off the names.  
  
"Boggs,… Charleson,… Davids,… Florence,… Kazuyama,… Geeze, who would have heard of these people?" Miki muttered under her breath.  
  
"Evidently not you. Nose stuck in books that students aren't suppose to be reading," Luna muttered. The comment earned her a quick glare from her sister.  
  
Miki shrugged, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes, "Who cares? I didn't get caught, now did I?" She turned back to the list, "Panick, Quince, Satsune?" Miki frowned.  
  
"What is it?" Luna asked.  
  
"There's a male on the list," shock making her sound calm.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Somewhat exasperatedly, she pointed at the name and said dryly, "Here, look! Satsune, Daemon."  
  
Luna's frown mirrors her sister's, then, she smirks, "He could have been the guy you almost ran over back there." She points over her right shoulder with her thumb in the direction from which they had just came. "What's his rank, if he has any?"  
  
"White. Same as me," surprise registered on Miki's face, "I made masters!" Elation filled Miki and she grabbed Luna. Overjoyed, she started dancing with her sister.  
  
Luna laughed at her overly excited twin, "Calm down, Miki."  
  
"What's so exciting?" an amused voice asked from behind Miki.  
  
They stopped dead in their antics when they realized that the voice belonged to a male. Miki released Luna's hands as her face went white. The only male that they knew of in the school was the Grand Master and that voice did not belong to him. This one sounded young and had a smooth quality to it. Luna peered over Miki's left shoulder to take a quick look at the intruder. Her face went white.  
  
"What?! Who is it?" Miki whispered harshly.  
  
Gulping, Luna whispered just as harshly, "It's the guy you almost ran over."  
  
Miki slowly turned around and stopped.  
  
"What was so exciting?" he asked again, the smile on his face was slowly fading. It's her, the girl from the library five weeks ago.  
  
"Umm… Well,… I, uh, I made masters…" Miki's eyes widened slightly as she quickly checked him out. Tall, well muscled, short dark brown hair, and blue-green eyes. Eyes that made her feel like she was looking into an ocean. As she stood there, she couldn't help but stare and all the while she felt butterflies in her stomach. God, he's gorgeous. I've never felt this nervous before, she thought, And it feels like I know him from some where. But where, I have no idea.  
  
"Miki? Miki?!? You okay?" Luna shook her sister and her eyes kept shifting from her frozen twin to the guy and back again. "Miki, close your mouth. You're attracting flies!"  
  
Miki shut her mouth with a click and shook her head, snapping back to the present, "Huh?... Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to stare like that," she said hurriedly. Looking back at the list, she continued to Luna, "Hey, Lune, I'm one of two that made it to White Masters!"  
  
"Really? That's cool," Luna said with a bored voice as she rolled her eyes, "Can we go now?"  
  
"Wait a sec… I want to see my score…"  
  
The stranger stepped up to look at the list also. His shoulder accidentally brushing against Miki's as they stood there. "Hmm… Looks like I made master, too," he murmured as his finger slid down the list, only to stop on a name.  
  
Miki paled slightly and tried to get her throat to swallow it was so dry.  
  
His smile returned and Miki paled a little more. "Same as you, it turns out," he offers hand, "Daemon Satsune."  
  
Miki cautiously accepted his hand and responded in kind, "Miki Urameshi. My mother teaches one of the Brown classes," she tipped her head at Kit, "That's my twin sister, Luna."  
  
Daemon looks at the girls as if Miki was joking. Miki had hair the color of fire, ice-blue eyes that seemed somewhat at odds with the fire-red color of her hair, and was somewhat shapely in all the right places, seemingly like a nymph. Luna, on the other hand, had chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes. She, too, looked more like she was a dryad.  
  
"Our father is one of ten casters in the world. Half of which are minor…" Miki continued as if she didn't see Daemon's expression, "It's rare that a guy would want to be a full caster."  
  
Daemon shrugged in response, "I was born in to it. Besides, my mother was as normal people would say a witch."  
  
All the while, Luna had noticed the expressions on both Miki's and Daemon's faces. Her hazel eyes, though always keen to notice these things, had never betrayed her thoughts. A half smile formed on her lips as she interjected, "Seems to me that Miki likes you."  
  
Miki's own eyes widened in shock, "LUNA!" It was clear by the expression on her face that she was aghast at her sister, "Fine! We can leave now."  
  
Luna shrugged and linked arms with Miki. Together, they started to walk back the way that they had come. Before they had gone too far, Luna turned back and called over her shoulder, "It was very instructive," her lips twitched, "and a pleasure to meet you, Daemon."  
  
"The pleasure's all mine, ladies," he called back.  
  
Turning back, Luna continued her stroll down the hall at a leisurely pace despite Miki's quiet insistence to go faster. They rounded a corner and were out of sight.  
  
Waiting a few seconds to make sure that they were out of hearing range as well, Daemon let out an explosive sigh and leaned against the wall. He had been as surprised about the red-haired mage named Miki as she seemed about him. Daemon was also pleased that he was able to keep that surprise well hidden better than she did.

* * *

Miki pushed their pace even more as they got past the corner. Meeting that guy back there had certainly thrown her for a loop. Fed up with her sister's mood, and unable to keep her own teasing away, Luna grabbed Miki's arm and brought them to a halt. Squeezing hard enough to get Miki's attention, but not hard enough to bruise, she forced her sister to look at her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Will you chill out? Jeeze Louise! You just met that guy and you're going gaga over him!"  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Are too!... Ah! Stop! We don't need to act like children right now," she rubbed Miki's arm in a silent apology for squeezing so hard. "Besides, I'm worried a little bit."  
  
Miki looked at her sister with a slight frown, "Worried? Why are you worried?"  
  
"Because!" she shouted, then toned down, "Because I don't want you to rush into something with someone you JUST met and get hurt again."  
  
Surprised by Luna's sudden outburst, Miki remembered what had happened a long time ago… 


	3. Old Wounds Die Hard

Their mother had met a guy who made her feel like she was important. He tempted and teased her, made her feel like she was on fire all the time. This man's name was Jared. She was caught by his charm and it took a long time for her to realize her mistake: She let him in and he broke her heart. Luna and Miki didn't know the whole story, just that their mom had gotten hurt by someone who wanted to control her.  
  
As far as Luna and Miki knew, it took years and the friendship their mom had with their father to make her happy again. It also took a while before she got over her fear of being found and taken away, imprisoned again.  
  
Miki also remembered that not too long ago, they, too, got hurt. They were just barely sixteen when it happened. A charming young man had played games with them, tried to subjugate them. Though they got away from him, they were not able to escape getting hurt at least a little bit.  
  
Glad that Luna cared enough to say something, Miki pulled her sister in for a hug. She whispered in Luna's ear, "Thank you for caring, Luna."

* * *

Hidden in the shadows, a man watched the cozy kitchen. A woman with faded strawberry blond hair was humming softly to herself, with her back to him. She turned towards him and he could see her eyes. Sky blue eyes that held a hint of laughter, love and fierce loyalty in them. Eyes that were a shade bluer than his own.  
  
Turning back to her work, she never noticed the man's presence. Coming up from behind her, he smiled. Then, ran his hand lightly up her spine. She jumped from the unexpected touch and shivered from her body's reaction to it. Whirling around, she found herself trapped by his arms, him and the countertop behind her.  
  
"Daffyd Urameshi! You do that again and I'll have to tickle you until you cry!" she threatened with a smile on her face.  
  
"Kitsu Urameshi!" he said, lovingly nipping her lower lip, "You tickle me and I'll tickle back!"  
  
He lowered his lips to her neck, nips her neck lightly and squirms as Kitsu's hands tickle his sides. Looking up from her neck, he tried to give her his second best glare. And failed miserably. He couldn't stop smiling.  
  
Kitsu softly placed her hands on his cheeks. "I still think that there is some green in your eyes," she said quietly.  
  
And it was true. Daffyd was lean, but strong, had short brown hair, and blue eyes that had green highlights in them. Still glaring at her, Daffyd shivered as she ran her hands up the middle of his back. He moved one hand to her chin, tilted her head up and kissed her lips lightly.  
  
Wanting to play a little, Kitsu licked his lips at the last moment. Daffyd shifted his hips closer, moaning quietly as she placed her hands on them, and kissed her deeply. Before they could even consider going any farther, the front door of the house opened and closed with a bang.  
  
Twin voices sang in unison from the front room, "Mom?! Dad?! We're home!"  
  
Kitsu's head rested on Daffyd's shoulder as her own shook from quiet laughter. Lifting her head up and meeting his gaze, her eyes danced with the suppressed laughter, causing him to smile ruefully.  
  
"We're in the kitchen," Kitsu called over Daffyd's shoulder, careful not to yell in his ear.  
  
Taking the few spare seconds they had before their children invaded the kitchen, Daffyd moved to lean against the countertop next to his wife and wrapped an arm companionably around her waist. Muttering under his breath, "We'll never get any time to ourselves with those two around!"  
  
Kitsu chuckled softly as she wound her arm around Daffyd's back. Her hand resting on the back of his neck, the fingers softly tickling him. He cast a quick glare in her direction as he shivered from the sensation. She merely smiled in reply. Flashes of red and chestnut brown announced the two girls' appearance in the kitchen.  
  
Daffyd's eyebrow raised in askance when he say the exultant look on Brin's face.  
  
"Good news, Miki?" Kitsu asked Daffyd's unspoken question.  
  
"GREAT news!" Miki was smiling broadly, "Only two terms in that academy and I made White Masters!"  
  
Luna smiled a little less broadly than her twin. She didn't want to spoil Miki's mood by snitching on how she managed it. Almost as reluctant to tease her sister, Luna said, "She also met the only other student to gain that colored rank."  
  
Miki paled slightly, hoping that Luna wouldn't go any further than that. Her excited movements faltered slightly, then picked up again. She was much too excited about her achievement.  
  
Their parents frowned.  
  
"Meaning what?" asked Daffyd.  
  
Miki finally stopped. She glanced from one parent to the other and shifted her feet nervously. Looking down, she hunched her slim shoulders and her fire red hair slightly veiled her pale, slightly freckled face.  
  
"Miki?"  
  
"Well… Only two made White… Me and…" she began quietly and finished in a rush, "a caster named Daemon."  
  
Luna shot a glance at both of her parents that reminded them vaguely of something almost forgotten. Seeing the barely imperceptible nod from her mom, she took a seat at the kitchen table. Burdens shoulder onto someone else for the time being.  
  
Smiling slightly, Kitsuyami stepped from Daffyd. She moved over to Miki and put an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "I think that maybe we need to talk," she said soothingly, "It's okay. Besides, I have something to tell you."  
  
The two women walked out of the room. Watching them leave, Daffyd's shoulders sagged a little. He took a deep breath and released in a sigh. "Time's come… Why now?"  
  
Luna frowned at Daffyd, "Dad, what do you mean by that?"  
  
"Hunny, this is the first time in years that one of you has shown interest in the opposite sex. I remember what had happened all those four years ago. I also remember that your mother went through the same thing. We just never told you guys some of the things that happened," he said quietly. "You remember Allen, right?"  
  
Luna nodded, "He's the scuzz-ball who hurt me and Miki. But what does he and what happened to Mom have to do with this?"  
  
"Well, he's Jared's son. And Jared is the one who hurt your mom all those years ago."  
  
Luna gasped. Then, gaped at Daffyd like he just said something that was extremely insane.  
  
Daffyd nodded, "Yes. Jared shaped and twisted Allen's way of thinking. Allen grew up viewing women as play-things. That's why he treated you and your sister like that. I'm just really surprised and thankful that he didn't hurt the both of you. Especially when he realized that you didn't want that any more and what both of you are: Free-willed, spirited young women." Daffyd smiled slightly.  
  
Pushing away from the counter top, Daffyd held out his hand to Luna. As soon as she accepted it, he pulled her up into a fierce hug.  
  
"Jared scarred your mother, emotionally. She was torn between loving him and hating him. To this day, she still loves him a very tiny bit."  
  
"But… But why? If he hurt her, then why does she still love him?" Luna stammered.  
  
"She does, because he helped her do things that she thought she would never do. Things that she wanted to do, but nobody, except him, would let her." Daffyd sighed.  
  
After a long pause, Luna felt that there was something more on his mind. Struggling a little in his arms, she asked quietly, "There's more to it than that, isn't there?"  
  
Daffyd nodded. "Yes. After a while, your mother managed to get out more often and started to meet other people. Jared knew by then that someone else claimed her, and he still thought of her as his 'property'." He shuddered from the memory of it all.  
  
Luna stepped out of his embrace. She was unsure if she had over-stepped the boundary and was causing her father great distress. Luna was also unsure of her welcome.  
  
"After he had lost her, she came to me. She was afraid that he would come after her. Jared finally managed to find us…" he sighed deeply. Continuing on, "He demanded to have her come with him, to leave me. Since neither of us agreed with that, he lunged at me with a knife he had hidden in his belt. He and I fought, and I came away with this," Daffyd turned around and lifted his shirt up to reveal a jagged, faded scar running from his left shoulder almost to his right hip. He replaced the shirt and turned back around.  
  
Luna was shocked. Everything that her father had said was almost too much for her to deal with. Now, more than ever, she was glad that they had gotten away from Allen. Who knows what might have happened? she thought, If what happened to Mom and Dad is any clue, we might have been goners for sure.

* * *

Miki and Kitsu left the kitchen and headed for the green room that was Miki's grandmother's legacy to them. The room extended along the back of the house. The late afternoon sun shone a brilliant yellow-orange through the glass roof down upon the cool green tiled floor. Stepping into the room, Kitsu gestured for Miki to take a seat after taking a seat on the wicker sofa that sat against the house wall.   
  
Miki took a seat on one of the wicker chairs across from her mother. She felt like she was going to get a lecture or something even more horrible was about to happen. Miki looked up at the glass roof while her mother got comfortable. She gave little thought to her current predicament as she realized her mother might be in a little bit of pain. She hasn't been doing to well lately. I wonder if something happened to her. The sun's shining and hardly a cloud in the sky, maybe the warmth will help her a little.   
  
Watching Miki out of the corner of her eye, Kitsu sighed sadly as her body felt unusually unwieldy. It's been like that a lot lately. She smiled slightly as Miki finally looked down at her. "My dear Miki, I know what you must have been thinking earlier… About that boy you like so many years ago. What was his name?" she pondered that for a second, one nail tapping on her lower lip. Then shivered slightly, smiled and continued, "Allen, that's right. His name was Allen. I know how bad he had hurt you. I was hurt like that once, but to me it seemed like it was so much worse."  
  
Miki shivered at the sound of Allen's name. She hadn't heard or used that name in several years. Then she just stared at her mother. "I didn't know that, Mom. I knew that you were hurt and all, but you and Dad never went into any details."  
  
"I know. And I'm going to tell you about it," Kitsu shivered again. Her stomach produced a dull ache that seemed to come whenever she was slightly distressed. Curling her legs up on the couch, she began her tale. It was similar to what Daffyd had told Luna, but there was much more to it. All the pain, torment and fear that Jared had caused her were evident in her voice as she told each and every thing he had done to her to Miki. She finished most of the painful trip down memory lane, Miki then said, "What I haven't told anyone before, not even your father is that Allen is my son."  
  
"How? How could that be? He doesn't even look like you!!" Miki stared in horror at her mother.  
  
"He's not my real son, Miki. So please calm down," Kitsuyami's stomach ached again. "Though I am listed as his mother. Allen's mother died when he was born, so the doctors put me down as birth mother since I was there with his father. The doctors worked for Jared, so what he said goes."  
  
"That would explain a lot… Although, why didn't you raise him? Why couldn't he have learned to care about others and respect them instead of dominating and terrorizing them?"  
  
"I never got the chance to raise him myself. As soon as he was able to start learning the ways of life, Jared took him away," she said sadly. "Jared was a real piece of work. I ran away as soon as I could manage it, with all the bumps and bruises that I got escaping his fists. I ran to the one person who I knew I could count on, your father. He helped me get over my fear of being beaten. He also helped me get my feet back on the ground, instead of almost six feet under."  
  
"Did he ever come after you and Dad?" Miki asked quietly.  
  
"Yes, he did," Kitsu shuddered. "He demanded to have me come back. Neither your father nor I wanted that. So Jared attacked your father and left him with a terrible scar." She smiled then, a pleasantly dreamy smile. "Your father left him with a crippled arm and Jared never came back after us. It took years and your father's love and respect for me in order for the fear that Jared instilled in me to finally fade."  
  
"So the moral of the story?" Miki asked, grinning wryly.  
  
"Despite being hurt once, there's always a way to learn to love again. Don't let it pass you by, Miki. You or Luna. The two of you have potential, but it'll take time. Old wounds die hard, dear heart." 


	4. Rage and Affection

"That good for nothing bitch deserves to die!" an angry youth paced around an elegantly furnished private study. His green eyes kept flicking to the two portraits on the desk, one on each side of it. His private study, his desk. "Both of them!"  
  
He clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides. The youth, still pacing, came close to the desk and studied the pictures again. At one end sat a portrait of a lovely young woman with luxurious chestnut brown hair. At the other, a portrait of another lovely young woman, this one with hair the color of fire. Both of them were beautiful and very pleasing to the eye, despite the young man's rage.  
  
He hated both of them. Hated them for the fire in his loins that they had caused. Hated them for being rebellious and most importantly, hated them for leaving. The youth's face flushed an angry red. A startling color when matched with his curly blond hair and forest green eyes. His handsome features contorted with his rage.  
  
Almost forgotten by the raging youth, his company let out an amused chuckle. The companion sat nestled in one of the over-stuffed leather chairs settled in a corner of the study. Light from the candelabra on the wall above the forgotten company flickered slightly, illuminating his features.  
  
Remembering the company he kept, the youth whirled around to face the older man. He smiled viciously when he remembered who else was in the room and gave his rage a physical focus. Trying in vain to keep his temper in check, he stormed over to the older man.  
  
"And WHAT, pray tell, do you find so funny, Father?" he spit the words out with distaste.  
  
The old man stopped chuckling and a pleasantly malicious smile formed on his time-tanned face. He ran one hand through his sandy blond hair. His blue eyes had a feral gleam that quickly faded. The hand gracefully fell to curl around the arm of the chair.  
  
"Funny?" his deep voice filled the room, "Why nothing. Nothing at all, my son. I'm just amused at your temper."  
  
There was a knock on the study door.  
  
"Come!" the youth snapped. Muttering quietly to himself, "Can't get anything done with all these annoying people around!"  
  
The door opened and a young servant, just barely older than a girl-child entered. Closing the door behind her, she carried in a rather large tray of pastries and coffee. Moving somewhat stiffly, she placed the tray on the empty table in front of the elder man. She turned to face the man sitting so comfortably in the leather chair and bowed slightly to him. The youth snarled at her until she turned and bowed to him, too.  
  
"Anything else, Lord Jared? Lord Allen?" she asked demurely while staring at the floor.  
  
Smiling with malicious pleasure, Jared beckoned the girl to come closer. He lifted one hand and placed it on her chin. Tilting her head up, he looked at her face, taking in her features. The girl had dirty blond hair, green eyes. She was also much too thin for her age and had a deep bruise forming on her neck and shoulder.   
  
Why blond? Couldn't it be red? It NEEDS to be red, he thought. Shrugging inwardly he took her hand placed it on his upper thigh and said quietly, "I need a massage."  
  
The servant girl's eyes flickered with disgust, but she didn't say anything and obeyed. She knelt on the carpet in front of the chair and began kneading and rubbing. Jared was soon sighing like a cat that was well satisfied.  
  
"Now, back to you, my son," Jared's satisfied smile had a malicious edge to it, "I find your anger amusing because you can still get them back. You've youth and determination to try to break those girls' free wills and strong spirits. After that, they'll fawn over you at your command and be nothing more than this creature."  
  
"And HOW am I to get them back?" the youth demanded loudly.  
  
Jared shifted in the chair slightly. The servant girl's hand fell between his thighs as a result of his movement and his smile grew a little more satisfied. Her disgust grew, but still she said nothing.  
  
"Allen, my son, I have resources. I had tried to make their mother mine again when I last saw her. I wasn't as young then as you are now. So I had lost their mother to that son of a whoring bitch." Anger flashed in Jared's eyes as he remembered the fight that was a result of his attempt. A fight that left his right arm crippled.  
  
Allen glared at his father, then shifted his gaze to the bruise on the girl's neck. His anger rose as he saw not his father getting a hand job and the servant girl, but himself and the twins.  
  
"You'll never get them back by yourself," Jared said thoughtfully, pulling Allen back to reality. Then he sneered slightly, "They've got that bitch of a mother and their precious little papa to protect them."  
  
Lips curled in a snarl as Allen yanked the servant girl away from his father. "Enough! Fun and games are over for now. Leave me. I need some time to think."  
  
Knowing full well his son's intention, Jared slowly rose out of the chair. With fluid grace, he walked to the study door. Opening it, he turned back to Allen and said calmly, "Don't think too hard. I'll be in my study should you need me."  
  
Allen snarled viciously. His hand tightening on the girl's arm as she attempted to follow Jared out of the study. She cowered, whimpering in pain and fear. Her pain made him feel better.  
  
Finally hearing the study door shut after what seemed like an eternity in his rage, Allen moved to sit in the vacated leather chair, pulling the girl with him. She remained standing as he released her arm.  
  
"You're to serve me now!" Seeing the fear and disgust in her eyes, Allen smiled malevolently.  
  
The servant girl bowed slightly and said quietly, "What would you like, my Lord?"  
  
His smile broadened as he undid his trouser ties and flicked the front flap open. Watching her face, he saw her eyes widen and the disgust mirrored there grow. "On your knees," he demanded. With an underlying threat, he softly said, "Pretend that you love me."  
  
She hesitated slightly, then was on her knees. Her hands rested on his knees for all of two seconds before they traveled up his thighs to his stomach. He shifted so she could pull his trousers down. The girl pulled down his trousers and shifted so one of her knees was between the arm of the chair and his lower thigh.  
  
Instinctively, she knew she could not back out of this. No matter how much she felt disgusted by it all, nor how much her gorge rose, she knew that he would kill her if she defied him. So, she did as she was told.

* * *

It was several hours later when Daemon almost literally crawled from the back patio to the couch. Flopping onto it, he threw one arm over his head, letting one dangle over the edge and stared at the ceiling. The walls of his three bedroom apartment faded as he recalled the incident from earlier that afternoon. The memory of meeting the twins pushed everything else from his mind.  
  
The one with the sharp hazel eyes seemed to miss nothing. Her eyes were penetrating and that made her seem wary of him. He could also tell that she might be the younger of the two. The other twin… Now that was something that he couldn't forget. He had seen her two times before at the library, both times it was late at night and she was always surrounded by books. She looked even better close up and her ice-blue seemed to compel him down roads he's never been on.  
  
In the distance, he could hear a door open and close. Daemon hardly noticed until a slender feminine hand passed in front of his face. He blinked once, twice, then, finally focused on the youthful face above his own.  
  
The girl, barely eighteen years old, standing over him had dark brown hair and light brown eyes. She usually wore her hair in a very tight braid, so seeing her with it hang about her sharp face like a lose veil was somewhat of a shock to Daemon. Her fair skin and delicate shape made her look younger than her years and yet her eyes said differently. She had knowledge and experience that went even beyond Daemon's twenty-two years.  
  
"It's not like you to day-dream like that, Dae," she said solemnly.  
  
Daemon snarled at the pet nickname that the girl gave him. "Since when did you start caring, Kelly?"  
  
"I've always cared, you two-faced son of a leprous jackal! You've just been too damned busy with that damned 'secret' academy of yours to even notice!"  
  
Her lips curled in a silent snarl. Just as she was about to give Daemon a bigger piece of her mind, the front door opened again. Both Daemon and Kelly turned to see who the intruder was. A man who could have been Daemon's twin, except in coloring, stood there. The man looked more like the girl standing over Daemon, though.  
  
The expression on his face was that of someone who was afraid he might step onto a battlefield at any moment. After a moment or two, he shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the door frame. His shoulder length black hair swaying as he shook his head.  
  
"I swear, you two fight like you're related," his deep voice held a hint of laughter. His gold-green eyes danced with mischief.  
  
Daemon growled at him, "You may be my best friend, Rick, but that does not mean that I'm related to your," and Daemon emphasized the word by pointing at Rick, "sister. I'm going to take a shower and then I'm going to sleep. I'd appreciate it if I were left alone for now." Vacating the couch, he stormed out of the living room and into his room. Leaving his two baffled friends, both of them wondering why he was in a grouchy mood, behind in a hurry.  
  
Seeing his friend in such a huff, Rick stepped further into the room and shut the door behind him. He shook his head and crossed the room to get to the previously occupied couch. Sinking into it with a grateful sigh, he looked at his kid sister. She looked just about as baffled as he felt. Then, turning his attention to something else, he looked outside the patio's sliding glass doors.  
  
With another sigh, he glanced once more at Kelly, "All right, Kel. What'd you do this time?"  
  
She had sunk onto the floor during the exchange between the two men and was staring at Daemon's door. A look of total innocence crossed her face before contemplation took its place and she shook her head. "That's the problem, Rick. This time I didn't do a damned thing."  
  
Rick grunted once and tried to stretch. Some muscles were so sore that they wouldn't budge an inch. Kelly got up and pulled him off of the couch. Gently pressing him face down onto the floor, she straddled his lower back and began to slowly massage Rick's neck and shoulders.  
  
"I knew I liked you training as an assassin for some reason, Kelly," Rick murmured into the carpet. He grunted, and then sighed as she worked at a large knot in the middle of his back.  
  
Kelly smiled at the compliment that it was. Quietly, she said, "I think that there might be something wrong with Daemon."  
  
Rick shifted so his head rested on his arms. Looking at Kelly out of the corner of his eye, he watched the worried look on her face change to something of a thoughtful one. "Maybe he met some girl," he said just as quietly.  
  
Kelly's brow furrowed as she frowned slightly. Then, she shrugged. "She must have been a knock-out, if that's true, to make Daemon act like an upset zombie," her voice shook slightly from laughter that was burbling up.  
  
Kelly quickly got up from sitting on Rick's lower back. She whirled around and grabbed a pillow off of the couch. Whirling back around, she smacked Rick on the butt with it. Yowling, he shot up off of the floor and spun around to face Kelly. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up, holding her onto his shoulder.  
  
Kelly tried to free herself by squirming and kicking at Rick's abdomen. She was laughing through the entire ordeal. Rick had her on his shoulder in such a way that she could not see where he was taking her. He opened the patio door and strolled over to the deep end of the pool that was situated in the center of a field ringed with apartment buildings.  
  
"I'd hold your breath if I were you, Kel," Rick cautioned before he swung Kelly off of his shoulder and into the pool.  
  
Kelly sank about half way to the bottom. Then, swam up and to the edge. Smoothly, she lifted herself out of the water and glared at Rick. He was laughing by the time that she had reached the surface and, still laughing, he tossed a towel at her.  
  
"You look like a drowned rat, sis," his voice shook with his laughter.  
  
Snatching the towel before it could touch the ground, Kelly began to vigorously dry herself off. When she had gotten herself mostly dry, Kelly stood up and continued to glare at her brother. "You may be my older brother, and I can still beat you into the ground, but one of these days… One of these days you are going to meet your match!" Kelly said ominously.  
  
"How would you know, squirt?" he said, fighting to keep a straight face.  
  
"I know, because one of these days you're going to get the same look on your face that Daemon had. And if you do something wrong, SHE'll toss you into the pool," Kelly grinned mischievously.  
  
Rick shook his head laughing, and walked back to the apartment. He closed the sliding glass door quickly behind him and locked it. Smiling at Kelly, who was still on the other side, he walked away from the door and into his room.  
  
Kelly glared at his retreating back and grunted once. "Thank god I kept my picks on me," she muttered. She walked up to the glass door and reached inside of her left boot. Pulling out the slim leather case hidden inside the top, she unfolded it and took out two tools. Within seconds, she had the door unlocked.


	5. Trouble in the Library

It had been two weeks since she had last walked through the halls of the academy. It was late in the afternoon and she couldn't help wandering the halls. Her red hair, braided, swished from side to side. Miki's eyes darted from door to door, reading the names of the course and professor labeled on each.  
  
She was day dreaming about Daemon. Sometimes he seemed surreal, that he nothing more than just a dream, an apparition. Sometimes he was everything that she dreamed of. And other times, he was just a mix of his own good looks and Allen's terrible personality. That last one made her shiver.  
  
Instinctively, she KNEW that Daemon wasn't like that. But what she didn't know was Daemon himself. Mysterious, handsome, compelling. He had left her speechless, something that Allen had not done.  
  
Miki was so deep in thought that she almost ran into someone. The would-be victim turned out to be a girl with dark brown hair. "Oh, I'm so sorry."  
  
"It's okay. I know that it wasn't entirely your fault," Kelly took a closer look at Miki. Her sharp, light brown eyes seemed to pierce through to Miki's thoughts. "Seems to me that you've either got something or someone on your mind. I've seen that look before. A friend of mine."  
  
Kelly's expression then turned thoughtful, "You know, I don't really have anything to do right now. Maybe we could go somewhere and get something to eat and get to know each other. To make up for the mistake you almost made," she shrugged as she took note of Miki's features. Besides, maybe this is the girl that Daemon keeps day dreaming about, she thought, Only one way to find out.  
  
Miki noticed the way the girl's tone of voice sounded too interested. She also noticed a change in her eyes. Something feral, too intelligent for her age and a sharp interest glittered in the girl's eyes. And instinctively, she knew that the interest was in her.  
  
"I'm sorry. As much as I'd like to, I have to go meet my sister at the market. I've also got a full schedule today," Miki said somewhat lamely.  
  
"Okay. Maybe some other time?"  
  
"Yeah. Sure," Miki turned around and started to walk away. "Later."  
  
"Hey, wait!" Kelly called out to her, "I didn't get your name."  
  
Miki slowly turned to face Kelly again, "I'm Miki."  
  
"Kelly," she nodded once.  
  
Miki turned around for the final time and walked away. This time, there was no interruption. Kelly watched Miki leave. Maybe I'm right. Maybe that's the girl Dae's sprung over, she thought. Shrugging as if to dismiss the thought for now, Kelly turned to her left and walked down the empty halls.  
  
"Time to see if Randall," and she smiled, "is available."

* * *

Pouring over some old and faded tomes in the fading afternoon sunlight, a young man rubbed his forehead. Stretching out, he tries to relieve the ache in his back from hunching over. His tired gray-green eyes flicked over to the candles he had lit earlier should he need them.  
  
"Have you been pouring over those old, musty books for hours again, Randy?" a quietly amused feminine voice asked, scaring him slightly.  
  
Turning slowly around in the wooden high-backed chair, his eyes focused fuzzily on a pair of light brown eyes half-hidden in the shadows. A tired smile tugged at his lips as he stood up. He bowed formally to her, one shock of his black hair falling in front of his eyes.  
  
"M'lady, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?" amusement lit his eyes as she snorted at his teasing.  
  
"Randall, I'm as much a lady as Rick is a gentleman!"  
  
Randy coughed in an attempt to hide his chuckle, "Too true, Kelly, too true."  
  
Slipping passed him to the table, Kelly quickly read the spines of the unopened books he had left piled up in a semi-circle. Frowning thoughtfully, she snagged the uppermost of the closest pile and opened it to the first marker. Kelly scanned the page quickly before turning back to Randall. It was a book on magically hidden natural surroundings.  
  
"Dare I ask what you're up to this time, Randy?"  
  
He shrugged noncommittally. His gray-green eyes were focused on the book Kelly still held. The Natural Life was the title. It was still open. Its pages crumbling with time and its words were starting to fade.  
  
"I'm just studying up on natural surroundings," he shrugged again. "Besides, who knows what kinds of things I might come across and have to deal with?"  
  
Kelly's eyes narrowed slightly, "New contract?"  
  
"No," he shook his head, hair swaying in front of his eyes. "But it's good to be prepared in case one does come up. Right?"  
  
Kelly snapped the book close and tossed it onto the table. It landed where it had previously rested, dust coming up off of the book beneath it. Kelly took a step closer to Randy. He reached out with one hand and caressed her child-like face.  
  
"You'd tell me if you accepted a contract, wouldn't you?" she asked quietly her eyes glinting slightly with checked anger.  
  
Randy nodded, unable to take his eyes away from hers. Unwilling to miss even the slightest flicker of what she was thinking, he smiled slightly in reassurance. During the unspoken exchange, he had reached out and took one of her hands in his own. Raising it to his lips, he kissed it lightly.  
  
"Because if you do accept a contract and keep it a secret from me, dear Randy, you'll regret it in the end," Kelly said with a hollow voice. Her eyes had a haunted look to them.  
  
"You know that I would never accept one and not go over it with you," he said quietly, not knowing how to tell her that he was offered one. "An honorable assassin always keeps his word, wasn't that what we were taught?"  
  
Kelly nodded. She slipped her hand out of Randy's and turned away from him. Walking towards the tall windows, she hugged herself. Leaning against the frame, she looked out at the stormy night sky and shivered. Of all the guys I've met, I don't want to lose this one. But as an assassin, I can't afford to love, she thought sadly. A bit too late for that, now isn't it, Kelly? You already love, don't you? She nodded to herself.  
  
Torn between his secret, concern and love for her, Randy slowly walked over to Kelly. He loved only three things in life: books, being an assassin, and Kelly. He knew that wouldn't be a good assassin if he allowed himself to openly love Kelly. It would interfere with his work and make her a possible target for his enemies.  
  
She turned as she heard him come up from behind her. Turning as soon as she did, Kelly was able to catch the look in his eyes. A soft, warm, and yet sad look was mirrored in them. Her own eyes widened slightly in surprise. Before she could school her expression, he smiled slightly.  
  
"But why? Why did you hide that from me?" she asked in a quiet voice that shook from the effort to keep the tears that were building from falling.  
  
Finally realizing what she saw in his eyes, he shrugged. "I thought you already knew. Then, when you didn't say anything I thought that maybe you were too occupied to even notice or care."  
  
Seeing the hurt in his eyes made Kelly hurt. A single tear, escaping her control, rolled down her cheek. It was soon followed by a few others.  
  
"I'm sorry, Randy. I didn't know, until now. I've always thought that maybe you did, but I wasn't sure. You never said or did anything…" she said sadly. Thunder rolled in the distance as she continued, "I do care and there is something that I need to tell you."  
  
Suddenly her voice was drowned out by the crack of lightning and the roll of thunder. The storm was suddenly upon them. Kelly cast an apprehensive look out the window. Turning back to Randy, she said, "I'm sorry. I guess what I have to say will have to wait. That storm looks like it's going to get pretty ugly and I'm way too far from home for comfort."  
  
She kissed Randy on the cheek and turned towards the window again. Snapping the latch open with a twist of her fingers, she stepped onto the ledge and leapt out the window. Kelly fell down a full story and landed on her feet with the grace of a cat. Looking back once, she saw Randy standing there with the window still open before he closed it. She ran home hoping to avoid getting drenched by the hard down-pour that was sure to happen.


	6. Special of the Day: Mayhem

Jared slowly prowled through his house. He could almost hear her warm laughter, feel her caressing his face, taste the warmth of her creamy skin. Remembering those things increased his hatred. Hatred for the insignificant, expendable man who stole her from him.  
  
Kitsuyami, his beloved, his property. She should have stayed, should have belonged to him and not that pathetic excuse for a man. She was his until she became frightened of him. She just could not seem to understand how much of a man he was, to his way of thinking. Maybe she just got overwhelmed by him.  
  
"Well, you may have her now, but I know who you are. I marked you and she'll be mine again, some day. Enjoy her while you can!" he sneered.  
  
He continued his prowl through the halls. Upon reaching the wing where his study was located, he noticed that someone was leaning indolently against his study's door frame. As he came closer, he realized that it was Allen. A tiny, malicious smile on his lips, Jared strode with arrogance towards him.  
  
"I see that you have 'thought' about my offer, right?" Jared asked as he walked up to Allen. Seeing Allen nod slightly with a tiny smile on his face, he turned to open the door to his private study. He gestured him to enter and followed, closing the door behind them.  
  
"Over the past two weeks I've thought long and hard about your offer," Allen's smile widened as he recalled how he thought about it. The servant girl's fear and revulsion was absolutely delicious during those two weeks. His smile turned malicious when he recalled having the caster they kept chained in the basement look at the girl. What the caster had told him made his eyes harden with barely contained anticipation. He had said that the girl was pregnant and the baby would be a girl.  
  
Jared became somewhat impatient and cleared his throat. The noise snapped Allen out of his pleasant memory. "So, you thought about it. What do you want?" he said slightly irritated as this display of inattention.  
  
"Well, for one, quit being such an ass, Father. I'll get to want I want when I want to," Allen snapped. "You said you had resources that you would be willing to extend to me. Well, what are those resources?!"  
  
"Well, well, well, my son. I have more resources than you seem to think. And, I might add, I will be willing to extend them to you if you'll be willing to help me."  
  
"Help you? Why should I help you?!" he said with a put-upon look. Seeing the flash of anger, Allen relented, "Alright I'll help you. If I know what you're asking me to help you with, can we deal with my problem first?"  
  
Jared nodded. Smiling maliciously, he detailed the kind of resources he was willing to offer Allen. Among them, skilled assassins who would kidnap their intended targets for the right price.

* * *

Daemon had been walking around the academy gardens for the past twenty minutes. He just could not seem to find a release for the anxiety that he was feeling. All the while, his thoughts circled around Miki, Kelly's sudden concern for him, and Kelly coming home last night crying. The circle never stopped.  
  
He realized that he had stopped when he didn't feel the wind on his face for a few minutes. Just as he was about to turn around and continue his restless prowl of the gardens, he noticed a woman at the end of the path. She had her back to him, but he could not help noting that she had red hair. As his heart started to race, she turned around and saw that there was someone else there. His heart bled.  
  
Her hair, although was red, it was faded and more of a copper color. Her eyes made him ache. They were blue, not quite the same color just a shade darker than the person he had thought her to be. She smiled pleasantly as he came towards her.  
  
Daemon bowed respectfully. Careful to keep his voice neutral, he said, "Lady Urameshi, it is a pleasure to meet you."  
  
"Daemon Satsune. Congratulations on your recent achievements," Kitsu's eyes danced a little with merriment. "What brings you to the Peace gardens, my lord?"  
  
"My thoughts are troubled. Mostly, I can't help but wonder if there is anything I can do. A friend of mine is hurt and she won't say why, and someone I just met not all that long ago invades my every thought. I barely know the person and yet at the same time, I feel like I've known them all of my life." Daemon shook his head, "I'm sorry. That probably made no sense."  
  
Placing a hand on his upper arm, Kitsuyami smiled gently. "On the contrary, young man, it makes perfect sense to me. Look in your heart and you'll see that you know the answers. A young woman's heart is riddled with worry when business can interfere. Another," she shrugged, "Well, only time will tell and I cannot help you there. But don't deny yourself the answers and gifts you have."  
  
He frowned slightly not quite sure he understood her. Why do some people talk in riddles? It drives me up the wall sometimes. He smiled and lifted her hand to his lips. Kissing the knuckles in an ancient gesture of courtliness, he said, "Thank you for your wisdom and advice, Lady Urameshi."  
  
"I suggest that maybe you should stop by the Observatory. I would heartily urge myself to do so if I were you."  
  
Dropping her hand, Daemon frowned again. He thought that he had seen a twinkle in her eyes as he heard the hint in her voice. "My thanks again, Lady Urameshi."

* * *

The Observatory was one of her favorite places in the academy. It was placed close to the green house where her grandmother once tended the saplings, close to the ocean that her mother loved so much and the wild forests that bordered both. Miki smiled as the late afternoon sun colored the sky with oranges, pinks and purples.  
  
The Observatory was just that, a place that one could observe things. All things, not just the stars. It had a telescope to view the distant constellations and planets. It had a wide earthen patio that was filled with luxurious plants grown to about waist high, pleasantly tame and yet wild enough to tease the senses. Along the border of the patio, there were small raised balconies from which people could look out at the gardens, school, ocean or even gaze at the immense forests surrounding the academy on three sides.  
  
"Almost twilight," she sighed with pleasure, her eyes focused on the ocean, "Almost time to give back to the land."  
  
As was tradition, she was taught by her mother a ceremony. The ceremony, preformed at a certain time of the day, was to give back to the land energy that was used. She had used that energy, along the water and earth branches, to help heal a sick child. So, she sat there, on a bench, waiting for the right time. A gentle breeze came blowing off of the ocean's waves as she waited.  
  
As tradition dictated, twilight was the perfect time to sing to the land. To sing to give back to the land, to sing herself to the land. Giving back the power that she had used.  
  
With about an hour left until the sun seemed to touch the waters on the horizon, Miki turned towards the forest. Wild and free, it called to her. Just like the sleek and powerful ocean called to her. They both seduced her senses, teasing the wild part of her.  
  
Turning towards civility, turning towards the academy, she froze. Standing near the door to the patio, just watching her, was Daemon. He looked just as he did the last time she saw him and it took her breath away. All she could do was smile shyly at him.  
  
"Hello, Daemon," she said quietly.  
  
He bowed slightly as he returned the greeting, "Nice to see you again, Miki. May I join you?"  
  
Slowly standing up, she nodded. "For a little while. I… umm… have something to do soon." She shifted her feet, silently wishing that it was already twilight to help her hide her blush.  
  
"Thank you, my lady," he said with a warm smile.  
  
"No need for formality, good sir," she joked a little. Her cheeks colored a darker red. Casting a look over her shoulder, her eyes widened slightly. The sun was already a quarter gone.  
  
Almost too quietly, Daemon said, "The song you are about to sing usually has a partner, does it not?"  
  
Miki's head snapped around and caused a muscle in her neck to spasm. Eyes wide, Miki stuttered, "Usually… Usually it does… Usually my mother, sister or father… I haven't sung with anyone else, and on many occasions I've sung alone. Why do you ask?"  
  
"I ask, for have you forgotten that I, too, am like you? Have you forgotten that the land calls to me as it does to you?" Or that you call to me, he thought.  
  
Miki just stared at him for a moment with her mouth hanging open slightly. "I guess that I have… I'm sorry, it's just that a past hurt got in the way. I am sorry, but I'd rather do this alone," she said quietly. Turning towards the horizon, she watched the sun sink further down.  
  
Daemon watched her turn away from him. A sense of failure welled up inside of him. She doesn't trust you yet… Give her time, a voice inside of him said. "Would you like to be left alone?"  
  
"Please."  
  
"As you wish, my lady," he said. He turned around and walked out the Observatory door. A single glance back at her and he was gone.  
  
Sensing that he was gone, Miki's shoulders sagged a little in defeat. A couple of tears fell at the hurt she had heard in Daemon's voice.

* * *

Daemon sat at the bar in his kitchen, sipping a hot cup of coffee. He couldn't stop wondering what he had done wrong, couldn't stop thinking about how skittish Miki seemed when he saw her a little over an hour ago. He could remember how her cheeks and hair glowed in the setting sun's light, how her eyes held a bit of fire in them. That is, until he mentioned what she was about to do.  
  
What's wrong, Dae?" a quiet voice at his elbow asked.  
  
"I feel like I'm going about this whole thing the wrong way… I feel like I scare her," he despaired. Silent tears slipped down his cheeks from saddened eyes.  
  
"I know that I'm a pest and all, and that you probably don't want my advice, but I do have a suggestion that you might like… That is if you're willing to listen," Kelly said quietly.  
  
Daemon sniffed once loudly as he wiped the tears away and turned to face her. He shrugged, "I've got nothing else to do."  
  
"Why don't WE, as in you and me, go back to wherever it is that she is and invite her out? It's still earlier and she can't've eaten already," she smiled in a slightly mischievous way. "Besides, I doubt she'd feel threatened or scared by you with another girl there."  
  
Daemon frowned, then smiled a little. "Why not!?"  
  
Grinning from ear to ear, Kelly waited patiently as he washed his face and freshened up. Slipping a companionable arm around his waist, she led him towards the front door.

* * *

The final note of her song died as the first star glowed brightly in the midnight blue sky. The light of the song's power faded with the sun's light and a harvest moon glowed in its place.  
  
Miki felt a little better than she had when Daemon left. She didn't mean to be frightened of him, not after the talk she had with her mother. Her song only made her realize that she's afraid of loving again, afraid that once she gave all of her heart that somehow he'll twist it and change. Then, she realized that she was being silly, that Daemon isn't Allen, and that she was wrong to even think of it.  
  
Having thought about that, Miki turned towards the main entrance of the Observatory and pulled her forest green cloak tighter to her body. The wind had picked up and it cooled her quickly. Passing through the doors, she stopped at the desk.  
  
The chief librarian stood behind it. His black eyes taking in her own blood-shot ones and her loosened braid. Before attending the academy, Miki had never seen a man like him before. His black hair formed a widow's peak on his brow, black eyes, pale skin and the most sensuous blood red lips she had ever seen. His feathery black eyebrows accented his widow's peak as he frowned at her in concern.  
  
"Thank you, Geoffrey," she said quietly, handing the book she had borrowed over to him.  
  
"Not a problem, Ms. Urameshi," he replied, accepting the book. "Please tell your mother that I said congratulations on two accounts."  
  
"Two? I know that one is for me recently becoming a master, right?" Geoffrey nodded. "But what is the other for?... Oh! That would explain a lot." Her face showed her surprise and pleasure.  
  
"Also tell your mother that her plants will be well tended should she decide that she needs to take leave for a while," Geoffrey smiled warmly.  
  
"I will Geoffrey. Thanks again," she turned and sprinted down the long hall that led to the academy and the world outside.  
  
Slowing her pace to a walk as she neared the door, Miki was glowing with pride. Her fair cheeks colored a pale cherry blossom as she couldn't stop smiling. She reached for the door handle and she wanted to find Luna as soon as possible. The handle turned beneath her hand almost unexpectedly. At first, the door opened to the girl she had ran into yesterday. Then, it opened further to admit Daemon.  
  
Both were in a deep conversation with one another, looking around and at each other. Miki's cheeks turned a shade or two darker red as her smile became shy. The girl took half a step before noticing her and stopped mid-stride. Her eyes were shining with interest again. Daemon noticed Miki a split second after Kelly stopped talking.  
  
"I see we meet again," Kelly's quiet voice hinted at the immense knowledge that she had and her young age.  
  
Miki's eyes shifted to Kelly and noticed the arm that was still wrapped companionably around Daemon's waist. Turning her eyes away from the arm, she saw Kelly's eyes narrow slightly and realized that she had seen the sorrow she felt. Fighting to think that maybe they're just friends, Miki smiled at them and noticed the sorrow and amusement written in Kelly's eyes.  
  
"I see we do," Miki said. "You'll have to excuse me, I know we met yesterday and all, but my memory is rather poor when it comes to meeting new people. And I don't seem to remember your name."  
  
Kelly shrugged, "It's okay. We just met then, and I can understand. Had it happen once or twice myself. I'm Kelly Savage." She removed her arm from Daemon's waist and offered her hand to Miki.  
  
"Miki Urameshi," she accepted Kelly's hand and shook it once.  
  
"Urameshi? Are you in any way related to THE Dianne Urameshi?" Kelly looked intrigued.  
  
"Yup, she's my grandma. Why do you ask?" Miki's full attention was on Kelly, so she didn't notice Daemon shifting from one foot to the other nervously.  
  
"Oh, she taught a class that I was in a while back…" she shrugged. "If you see her, ask her if she remembers me, please. And if she does, tell her I said hi!"  
  
Daemon cleared his throat once, trying to politely interrupt the girls. Kelly's eyes narrowed slightly and she jabbed him in the ribs with a pinky nail. Miki became quiet and her blush returned.  
  
"Kelly is my best friend's little sister," he said in an explanation. "She wanted to go somewhere and we ended up here." Daemon shrugged as he shifted his feet again. "We… I mean I, was just wondering if you'd like to join us for something to eat."  
  
"We're going to one of my favorite restaurants," Kelly piped in.  
  
Miki considered the offer for a moment. Shrugging, she said, "Why not?! I've just one errand to run, so could you give me a few minutes?"  
  
"Mind if we tag along?" Kelly asked, seemingly like a younger girl.  
  
Shrugging again, she said, "Sure."

* * *

Luna walked towards the windows at the far end of the library. She had spent the last few minutes wandering through the many aisles of the Natural Science section and was on the last one. Stopping at the end of one bookcase, she looked to her right as she heard someone approaching.  
  
She smiled as she saw who it was. "Hello, Randy."  
  
"Hmm… Oh, hey there, Lune," his gray-green eyes were tired and troubled.  
  
Frowning with concern, Luna folded her arms across her chest. "Something on your mind that you need help with, Randy?"  
  
"Huh?... Oh, no. I have to try to figure this out myself," he seemed to be thinking in a circle.  
  
Luna shrugged. "Well… Okay, but if you need someone to talk to, let me know…" She gave him a searching look, before turning back to what she was originally doing. "Oh, Mother wanted to know if she could get these books." She turned and gestured to the stack of books on the table and the ones she held in her arms.  
  
Randy turned and read the spines quickly. Half of them he had read last night… Before Kelly had showed up and gave him something to think about… The other half, he didn't think of pulling out those books. I should have remembered that it's good to know fauna as well as the flora. Now, why didn't I think of that? The books were on animals.  
  
"Sure. I'll just make a list of them and give it to Geoffrey."  
  
"Oh, no need to worry about that. Mother already made one and signed it so he'd know who had them. Trying to hold the books with one arm while she dug in her pockets, Luna scowled a little. After digging through almost all of her pants pockets, she finally pulled a slip of paper from a back pocket. She flipped it open and smiled, turning the piece of paper over to Randy.  
  
He reviewed the list with a half-smile. "Okay Luna. Tell your mother that I said hello."  
  
"Sure thing, Randy. See you later?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She walked off and passed through the mythology section. Her eyes quickly scanning the titles for future reference. I think that I'll come back tomorrow for a better look at those books, she thought with a smile. Besides, I haven't had a good read in quite some time… I'm pretty sure that Miki won't be reading for a while, though there's no telling with her. With the way that she's always got her nose stuck in one book or another she'll never have a social life.  
  
Luna shrugged as she left the library, remembering that you can't really change someone. Not when you already like them for the way that they are. It was something that she had taught herself a long time ago. She smiled to herself as the library doors closed silently behind her.


End file.
